Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Forgotten Nightmares – Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Forgotten Nightmares – Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

By Owen Jones (Resident Indie games fanatic)

It’s been quite a while since the release of the latest
Amnesia game, and since then it’s received mixed reviews (to say the least).
I’ve sat down, played it, and thought about it for a while and am now ready to
share my thoughts on The Chinese Room’s latest survival horror.Here's a trailer:

Before I begin prodding the game unmercifully to see how
well it holds up, I shall answer the inevitable question of whether or not you
should buy it. The answer depends on a number of things. Firstly, the game is a
spiritual successor rather than a straight out sequel. Developed by The Chinese
Room rather than Frictional Games, much has changed since the series’ last
outing. No longer must you collect items in your inventory or ponder over
(occasionally) intricately assembled puzzles, but most importantly there’s no
worrying about the innovative sanity meter from The Dark Descent. Although
The Chinese Room have overhauled the game, scrapping a number of the features
that made the first game dear to so many, they have created a game they can
truly call their own and if you’re of a similar disposition to me, this is by
no means a bad thing.

The game has also strayed considerably from its survival horror
roots. In my opinion it was less of a H.P Lovecraft inspired fright fest and
more of a traditional M.R James ghost story. Mind you, even these elements of
horror are ditched in preparation for the finale. So if you’re looking for a
game that will leave you in a state of stark terror then a game along the lines
of Outlast (which I have yet to play) might be more appropriate. However as a
direct consequence of this it tells a far better story that has a chilling
atmosphere and subtly implements rather than relentlessly throws jump-scares
at you. Also if your keen on the atmospheric wonder-'em-up (along the lines of
Dear Esther – Chinese Room’s cult hit) but aren’t too keen on the visibly
shaking in terror, then you’ll be pleased to know Machine for Pigs is a more
accessible game for you (kind of like Anna but actually good).

Just your run of the mill church. Other than the pigs. And that giant machine underneath it.

So if you aren’t yet convinced as to whether or not this
game is for you then I still have more to say. To begin with the story is
fantastic, and I mean that as my highest of praises.

The plot follows successful industrialist Oswald Mandus at
the turn of the century. Fearing for his children’s life he sets out to save
them from drowning by fixing a machine that was damaged by a saboteur. The plot
is actually quite basic, other than a plot twist pretty much everyone will see
coming. Still, the final act has an engaging plot that will grip you to the
core, and more than makes up for the slow building but necessary opening.

The protagonist, Oswald, is pretty much the only character
that’s properly developed, which makes sense. Anyway, playing as Oswald was one of the few times I wasn’t
frustrated by a non silent protagonist. I cared about him far more than the
dull and bumbling Daniel from TDD. It felt as if I shared his pangs of sorrow,
guilt and fear (mainly fear, lots and lots of fear).

The game takes place in all manner of locations, which we’ll
return to later, but they fit the story remarkably well and are immaculately
designed. As I mentioned before, one of AMFP's great strength’s is the well
crafted, yet truly frightening atmosphere. Though AMFP can’t rival TDD for
shit-your-pants-in-terror moments it has a more sinister atmosphere that can
really creep you out.

The writing is bloody good as well. When reading notes or
listening to monologues the writing borders on poetry, which is hardly
surprising considering this is the team that penned Dear Esther. Speaking of
monologues, the story is masterfully told. Reading notes or listening to
phonograph like devices will fill you in on what you forgot (hence Amnesia)
prior to the game. As well as this when you walk into a room Mandus will jot
down his thoughts, though this does lead to the questions how and why did he do
this? There are also phone calls from ‘The Engineer’ strategically placed
throughout the game, and though it’s an interesting inclusion the actual
content of the writing never felt necessary. Perhaps calls that told a separate
narrative that ran parallel to the main narrative would have worked better, or
something along those lines, I just never felt that I gained anything by
listening to what he had to say.

But the real selling point is the metaphor at the heart of
the game. I’ve seen some people complain about how early it exposes the
metaphor, but I think their missing the point. I mean the tagline “This world is a Machine. A Machine for Pigs. Fit only for the slaughtering of Pigs.” kind of gives it away, right? To me the joy comes from watching
this metaphor expand until it bares the full weight of depicting not only society
at the turn of the century, but also takes a bleak look at the modern world.

In my opinion the most interesting part is
how things gradually become more and more surreal as the machine's
architecture stops making sense and doors you just passed through disappear
behind you. These what-the-fuck moments that make you question the reality of the
game’s events really made this game for me. I understand some people don’t
share my love of ambiguity, but like it or not its present here. This is great
because video games need to be more ambiguous in how they tell stories and allow
room for interpretation, as when compared to other mediums it falls rather
short in this aspect.

Yes there is a foot in this picture. And a knife. And also a weird baby thing. Other than that though wouldn't you love to have this picture on your wall?

Not only does AMFP have a great story but the gameplay, although
disappointing to some, has also got good things going for it. The lantern never runs
out of oil, and though it attracts pig-hybrids switching it off no longer leads
to you going nuts. I’m personally quite glad these didn’t get in the way of the
story (though TDD simply wouldn’t have worked without these features) the lack
of sanity events is rather disappointing.

I’ve pretty much covered the gameplay already because there
isn’t much of it. Now that the puzzles have pretty much gone there isn’t much to do
other than explore and uncover the story, which may be a problem for some.
There are puzzles but they're pretty basic. However it does drop hints as to
how to solve them in an interesting manner. Instead of just straight out telling you or
leaving you on your own, notes or visual clues will help you. Entrances to
secret passageways will be hinted at in dialogue or there might be marks to
show something has been moved regularly. This type of design is something it
would be nice to see in more complex puzzles, though if more complex puzzles
were in AMFP it would probably effect the immersion and atmosphere, so I’m
still not certain where I stand on this.

What it may be lacking in gameplay is made up for in the game
design. The level design is excellently executed . Though the game is linear is
doesn’t always feel like this and the game guides you through each level in a
way that feels incredibly intricate. In the early mansion levels this is especially true, after navigating the place through secret passageways to
find yourself in an area that’s familiar was a joy to do, despite the
minimalistic gameplay.

And the machine, my god the machine. The machine weaves in
and out of reality, churches, streets and factories are all interwoven with
your progress. The final act opens and closes with two pieces of incredible
architecture, and despite the aging engine they are stunning to behold.

But despite some incredible level design it’s the sound
design that steals the show. Jessica Curry’s score, along with some well recorded
sound effects accompany you on Oswald’s journey. Despite becoming
interwoven with the game, you can’t help but notice how much of a triumph the
sound design is. It ebbs and flows with the game, building to epic proportions
with the story as it reaches the conclusion. Make no mistake; this is a game to
enjoy with a good pair of headphones.

The game’s also been designed in a way with attention to
detail in mind. The really creepy moments come from keeping your eyes peeled.
These scares aren’t forcibly forced down your throat like in numerous other
horror games, you can play the game without realizing they’re there, but if you
do notice them they can really creep you out.

I mentioned before
you might find yourself somewhere you’ve been before (but perhaps having come
through a previously locked door or looking down at the place from a walkway)
but things often have changed. One example is that you head through a secret
passage way early on in the game. Through a window you see a room with a bed
and one of those things in it. You
then pull a lever or something along those lines. You then return to find that
the pig’s gone. Coming out of the passageway a locked door has now been broken,
and you can now enter the room you saw through the window to progress. You can
continue safe in the knowledge that a pig hybrid is on the loose.

And then there are the masks...

The pig masks are incredibly creepy, and they’re everywhere.
Turn your back for a few seconds, and when you return you might find one of
them fuckers waiting for you. I can’ count the I-swore-that-wasn’t-there-before
moments during the game, but needless to say they were too numerous to ever feel
comfortable during the short playthrough.

And it is ever so short. Being a relatively slow gamer it took me 6 hours to complete the game, and to faster players it might only take 4-5 hours (though I urge you to read and listen anything you find). This has its advantages as a shorter time opens the possibility to play the thing in a single sitting and the scares would soon become old if the game was any longer. There's also a worry it might lose pace as the six hours are incredibly intense and there's no grinding or faffing about with puzzles of course.

It is noteworthy that for £13 these 6 hours might be a bit steep for some, in which case if you get an opportunity to pick it up on sale that would be ideal.

The pig masks... they know.They know.

So to conclude The Chinese Room have made a game that
doesn’t feel like the original Amnesia, which is understandably a problem for
some, but have made an original and thought provoking game because of this. If
TDD was a Penumbra style Amnesia game then AMFP is a Dear Esther style Amnesia
game, though I felt a lot more engaged than I ever did with Dear Esther. With
some negative reviews and a relatively low score on Metacritic (which is a
broken system by the way) it would be quite easy to give AMFP a miss, and this
is a great shame considering it takes the medium of video games into a direction
I’d like to see more games follow.Despite the price and length this is definitely a game that's worth picking up if you're happy to forgive its negatives.

You can buy the game from GOG or Steam, and The Chinese Room's website can be found here.